Conceptual foundations of the urban cultural policy

The cultural policy is formed by institutions of federal and regional authorities, urban and intraurban communities. The mission of the city policy is to create and maintain the healthy social, psychological and moral atmosphere, to adjust the city resources in accordance with the urgent tasks of modernization, to meet the challenges of our time by means of culture, to reinforce the city reputation on the basis of cultural achievements, initiatives and projects. The cultural policy objectives are developed by the municipal authorities and may include satisfaction of cultural needs and access to the cultural values for city residents, improvement of the culture management at the municipal level. The culture policy issues are solved by the appropriate municipal authority division, i.e. the Culture Committee, and suppose the strategic management of educational institutions for culture and arts, providing conditions for their efficient functioning. In the present situation the most optimal option is combination of the elements of public-education policy model focused on the educational activities, and the liberal model oriented on the establishment and maintenance of conditions for various creative activities and the implementation of heterogeneous cultural demands. The subject of the customary cultural policy is the state represented by regional and municipal authorities, while the subject of the liberal policy is not only the power, but also the urban community, the city residents, holding themselves out as its citizens. The synthesis of these models will make it possible to advance to the strategy of “municipal development through the culture", in which the culture plays the role of significant development resource. The comparative research of the art culture of the cities of different statuses has revealed substantial differences between the cultures of large, medium cities and small towns. Therefore, the cultural policy, which is being formed in cities of different status, should also be diversified.